For most of her life, former daytime TV host Ricki Lake has bounced up and down the scale, at one point slimming down from 260 to 120 pounds. In this Lifescript exclusive, the mom of two reveals her weight-loss secrets...

It’s not often that being plus-sized buys a ticket to Hollywood success. But it did for 42-year-old actress and former TV gabber Ricki Lake.

At 18 and 200 pounds, the self-proclaimed “fat, pretty girl who could dance” was just what director John Waters wanted for the role of Tracy Turnblad in the original 1988 film version of “Hairspray.”

For four years after landing that role, she was getting cast as earthy, comic-relief characters. Then a gig on the TV drama “China Beach” led to a steady stream of movie offers as well.

But the parts vanished when she hit 260 pounds. Desperate, Lake started starving herself and exercising like crazy. She dropped about 125 pounds, but paid a price.

“I was passing out and really weak,” she says.

Now that she’s around a healthy 140 pounds, Lake reveals how she overcame the dangerously fat-packed diet of her teens and slipped into a size 5 swimsuit for a 2007 cover of Us Weekly.

How would you describe your relationship with food?I love food. But I have to be conscientious about what I eat. My body is predisposed to being heavier than I am right now… it would like to be 200 pounds.

I’m just not one of those naturally skinny, hummingbird people with the kind of metabolism that allows you to eat whatever you want. That’s not how most people are, particularly if you’re in your 40s and your metabolism has slowed.

Is there a history of obesity in your family? Yes, I just wasn’t educated when it came to eating right.

My mother didn’t cook, and we never sat down as a family to eat dinner, except when we ate out. So I microwaved Hungry-Man frozen dinners – sometimes two – and drank a lot of soda.

I had no sense of portion control and ate lots of snacks. At restaurants, I ate bread, ordered appetizers, the meal and dessert.

What about exercise?I was active as a kid, but I stopped exercising when I switched from a local high school to a performing arts school in New York City in the 11th grade. The school didn’t have a physical-education program.

Suddenly, I was sedentary, sitting in class and [then] on the train back and forth. After school, I’d buy two hot dogs and a Coke and eat them on the train, even though I’d already had lunch. When I got home, I’d have a snack, then dinner and dessert.

By the time I graduated, I weighed around 200 pounds.

Was weight a problem before your late teens? My weight problem started earlier, but I wasn’t fully conscious of it. I wasn’t grossly different or obese.

I thought, OK, my jeans are a little tight, and boys don’t really like me. But I’m still really funny and kind of cute. I was in denial and getting by.

Even at my biggest, when I was a size 24, and probably morbidly obese, I still wore it well, if that’s possible. I put a smile on my face.

Were you bullied, teased socially, or ostracized like many overweight kids and teens are?I was teased when I walked by construction sites in the city. Guys would start mooing when I went by. I was also afraid the bus would sink when I got on board. Things like that were traumatizing.

But in school, I wasn’t picked on. I was very fun and non-threatening. I was friends with everyone, but not in a class-clown kind of way.

Being overweight actually helped launch your career, right?Yes, I landed the starring role of Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray (1988) the summer after my freshman year in college. I was 18 years old. It was a real mind-trip to become famous and successful, and make a lot of money because of my physical makeup.

If I wasn’t big, I wouldn’t have been cast and had this career. So, in some ways, I’m grateful for my battle with weight.

But TV and movie offers dried up later. Is that what motivated you to take extreme weight-loss measures in your 20s? I was in a desperate place then. I needed to make a living and change it up fast. So I started starving myself and exercising like a maniac.

Did any adults try to intervene and suggest healthy diet plans?My mom detested the fact that I had a weight problem. It was embarrassing to her.

But if she said something like, “Ricki, you really don’t need to take a second helping,” I’d feel bad and want to eat more.

Ignoring the problem didn’t help either. Mom was between a rock and a hard place.

What are your weight-loss secrets?About four years ago, I went on a dedicated weight-loss plan through Fresh Dining (now called Freshology) and lost more than 35 pounds in nine weeks.

I wanted to look and feel my best to promote a documentary that I’d been working on for four years (“The Business of Being Born”).

What did the plan involve?It was all about portion control, eating healthy organic food, about 1,200 calories a day. As a customer, the food was delivered to me fresh daily. [The program can cost more than $40 a day.]

When I started, I’d been a normal size 8 or 10 for a while. At the point the [US cover] photo was taken, I was down to a 4. Not that I’m size-obsessed, but it’s pretty remarkable for someone who once was size 24!

What exercise routine do you follow?I exercise four times a week. I really like spinning and hiking, and love the Bar Method, which is amazing and incredibly effective. It combines yoga, Pilates and ballet at a very fast pace.

Last year, I did it for five months straight – I was addicted. It’s an hour-long workout that’s hard-core, strengthens, elongates and burns calories.

As a mother to two boys, Owen, 13, and Milo, 9, how do you instill good eating habits? We try to use all fresh ingredients, low-fat foods. There’s no soda in the house.

I also make sure they’re active. They’re both [playing] basketball now.

Because they like treats and I don’t want to deprive them, I want them moving their bodies. It’s not a problem for them since they’re boys and very active. But it’s something I’m on top of because I don’t want them to struggle the way I did.

You just co-wrote a book, Too Small to Be Big, about childhood obesity. What do you think is at the root of the epidemic among kids and teens?I’m no medical expert, but kids are eating a lot more processed foods now.

Physical education programs are being cut. Two parents are working, and single parents [don’t have] enough time to cook fresh foods for kids.

It’s easier and cheaper to get fast food or rely on prepared foods. Portions are out of control and organic and fresh produce can be expensive and aren’t even available in some neighborhoods.

What do you think of reality TV shows where weight loss is a big competition?It’s not my cup of tea to have a contest to lose weight. But it’s remarkable what the people [on those shows] have been able to do.

We all have our own bodies and need to make choices. It’s about moderation, being healthy and feeling good. That’s what I’ve learned on my journey.

And even though I’m 10 pounds heavier than I’d like to be, I’m happy and in a [good] relationship. My children are healthy. I’m fit and feel good in my skin. My body doesn’t hurt.

Are You Ready to Lose Weight?Losing weight is a commitment to diet, exercise and behavioral changes. You know you could stand to lose some of those unwanted pounds, but are you ready to make this life-long commitment? Take this weight-loss quiz to find out.

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